Ways to Promote food Safety in Nepal

Ways To Promote Food Safety in Nepal

 

Abstract

Food Safety is a concept that food will not cause harm to consumers when it is prepared and or eaten according to its intended use. Current situation of food safety as observed by regulatory Authorities is found very poor, though there is no any system to record the incidents of food borne illness. Promotion of food safety is essential to reduce the risk of food borne disease, hence growth and development of tourism and food industries. Major challenge for the promotion of food safety is the awareness on food safety; its importance and system required for food safety at different levels; government, organizations in the food chain and consumers. Awareness of food safety at different levels, policy, programs for the promotion of food safety,  allocation of sufficient systems to monitor and control organizations in the food chain, revision, updating food acts and regulation are the ways to promote food safety in Nepal.

Keywords: Food borne illness, awareness, organizations in the food chain, consumers, food acts and regulation

 

1.  Introduction

Food is the basic need of our life. Sufficient and safe food is essential for the normal health, growth of our body. Food can be the source of hazardous substances (physical, chemical, biological) rendering it unsafe causing illness and even death. Thus effort must be made to make food safe. Good practices are needed to implement from primary production to consumer (farm to fork) to make food safe (free from hazardous substances or at safe level). Thus, food safety is the effort of all people involved in the food chain.

There is the huge potential of growth and development of food industries in Nepal by increasing the sale of different food products in domestic and international markets. And the basic requirement is the assurance of food safety by the food industries. Food safety is one of the important tools to attract tourists to lengthen their trips, for their repeated visits and encouragement or advertisement by them to their friends for the visit.

As the current situation of food safety is not good enough, promotion of food safety is essential to reduce the risk of food borne diseases. This will help to promote growth and development of tourism and food industries, ultimately economic development of the country. For the promotion of food safety, ways needed should be identified and taken and to identify the ways, the current situation, problems, challenges must be clearly understood. This paper focuses on all these aspects and suggests the possible ways for the promotion of food safety.

 

2.  Current situation

There is no system to record and analyze the impact of food borne illness in the country. Few incidents of food borne illness as presented by the media are wild mushroom poisoning, methanol poisoning and food poisoning in some cultural feasts in rural areas. As data on the impact of food borne illness are not recorded, promotion of food safety is getting less priority by government and the entrepreneurs.

Due to scarcity of food in remote areas, people, government and all concerned focus on availability and food safety gets less priority. Consumers of even urban areas focus on the price of the product and take less care on quality and food safety. In case of food service operations due to different reasons, hygienic foods are not available at most of the outlets and consumers are not getting much option, so compelled to consume from such outlets.

As people involved in the primary production are not aware regarding the Good Agricultural Practices and Good Veterinary Practices, there is the risk of use of banned pesticides and use of higher dosage of pesticides than the permitted level during farming agricultural produce.  Harvesting fresh produce within the short period of pesticide spray can cause the risk of residues of pesticides more than the permitted level. Similar is the situation on use of antibiotics on livestock thus creating the risk of residues more than the permitted level.

Most of the small scale processors have not taken license for the production of food products. They are not in the range of monitoring and control by the government. Most of the processors are not aware about the good practices. There is the practice of use of high dosage of preservatives to increase shelf life of their product, less care is taken to maintain hygiene and sanitation up to the level.

Practices even at medium and large scale food processors are not upto the level. Hygiene and sanitation are not found good enough as monitored by regulatory authorities. Few food products  like pasteurized milk are found unsafe according to its intended use as observed by the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control. Small number of industries have implemented and certified ISO 22000:2005 which includes Dairy, distillery, Instant Noodles, tea industries. Most of the organizations certified with ISO 22000:2005 are not implementing it genuinely.  Their intention is to maintain a certificate and use it for advertisement.

 

3.  Challenges

There are many challenges, problems at different levels; Consumers, organizations in the food chain and the government which must be addressed to promote food safety.

3.1. Consumers

Consumers are not aware about food safety; its importance, hazardous effect of unsafe food. Thus, much care is not taken to select and consume safe food, attracted by advertisement, appearance, taste, flavor of the product. Hence, food industries, food service operations and other organizations in the food chain focus on consumers preference and less effort is applied on food safety as it will not assure an increase of their sale. Another challenge for consumers is their purchasing capacity. As purchasing capacity is low, they are attracted by low price products and the manufacturer compromise on food safety to lower the price of their products.

 

 

3.2. Organizations in the food chain

Though, most of the organizations in the food chain are aware of food safety; its importance at some level, they are not sure about it and stick on traditional practices which they think easier and less costly. Most of the organizations do not have volume production, thus improvement of their system may increase their cost of production and sales price and cannot compete with their competitor’s product (imported products).

As most of the entrepreneurs do not invest for the expertise, machines having good designs and materials before establishment and expansion of the food industry, it becomes difficult for them to maintain hygiene and sanitation. Similarly, it is difficult to maintain hygiene and sanitation as entrepreneurs do not recruit suitable manpower and do not train them regarding Good Manufacturing Practices and Good Hygiene Practices.

Lack of safe ingredients at reasonable price, commitment from top management, and level of awareness, attitude and motivation of employees to implement the system needed to maintain food safety are the other challenges at this level.

3.3. Government

Government does not have sufficient infrastructure and human resources to monitor and control food safety in all over the country. Food acts and regulations are not revised and updated since it was started. Efforts made by the concerned departments to revise and update acts and regulations are not known. Due to political instability, it is difficult to revise and update it. Current acts and regulations are not much clear on food safety issues. Standard of food products (most of the products) does not cover food safety issues.

Most of the law makers and persons from concerned ministries are not aware of the importance of food safety. Concerned department seems unable to approach and convince them to revise and update acts and regulations, set policy for promotion of food safety, initiate programs to encourage the entrepreneurs to implement food safety management systems. Guidance, support and monitoring on the agriculture sector by the ministry of agriculture and its system seems insufficient to implement GAP, GVP.

3.4. Others

Experts for planning and design of establishments specific to food plants and food service operations are not available or costly. Activities in the field of promotion of food safety by non government organizations seem insufficient.

Research, studies on the current status of food safety is insufficient. Non government organizations of Nepal seem unable to design large projects and get funds and other support from foreign countries. We are unable to grasp global opportunities.

 

4.  Ways

Ways to promote food safety in Nepal is to overcome the challenges and problems described above. Those are explained as below:

4.1. Promotion of Awareness on Food Safety

Consumers should be made aware of the risk associated with the consumption of unsafe food, selection of safe food. Awareness campaigns at schools, colleges, inclusion of food safety in school, college courses, and announcements from the media are the ways to promote awareness level of consumers. Demand, selection and consumption of safe food from consumers enforce organizations in the food chain to assure food safety. Awareness on food safety; its importance and implementation of food safety management systems to entrepreneurs and employees by different ways; training, workshops is the most important way for promotion of food safety. Awareness of law makers and the government officials by different ways; interaction programs will make it easy to revise and update current food act and regulation, approve programs to promote food safety.

4.2. Allocation of sufficient system for monitoring

Infrastructure and human resources of the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control is not sufficient to monitor and control all food industries and food service operations. Infrastructure and human resources needed must be analyzed, identified and demanded from the government by the current department.

4.3. Strict Implementation of current acts and regulations

Current system to guide, support and monitor primary production by the ministry of agriculture seems almost sufficient but most of the primary producers are not aware of Good Agricultural Practices and Good Veterinary Practices. There is the risk of food safety hazards on fresh produce. Effort from the current system must be made sufficient to make aware the Primary Producers on Good Agricultural Practices and Good Veterinary Practices. Monitoring from DFTQC seems less strict for the improvement of the systems of food industries and food service operations to assure food safety. It is suggested that a short period should be provided to food industries and food service operations for the improvement and it should be verified.

4.4. Licensing and License Renewal

There is not the practice of demanding sufficient systems (infrastructure, human resources) needed to assure food safety by the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control with the Entrepreneur before issuing license or renewal of license. It can be one of the ways to establish or improve sufficient systems to assure food safety by the food industries and food service operations.

4.5. Revision and updating of current food act and regulation

Current Food act and regulation is not clear and sufficient to address food safety. It must be revised and updated to make it clear and sufficient to address food safety.

 4.6. Policy, Programs from government

Policy programs to promote food safety must be developed and implemented by the government. These programs can be developed with the technical and financial support from INGOs and developed countries. Few of these programs are suggested below:

• Awareness campaigns at different levels
• Inclusion of food safety in courses of different levels of studies
• Guidance, support encouragement to organizations in the food chain to implement food safety management systems
• Development of model organizations
• Subsidies to the organization implementing Food Safety Management System
• Prizes for the organizations having the best system to assure food safety.

4.7. Support from developed countries

Since developed countries have the experience of promotion of food safety, have strong financial conditions, they can support us by technical and financial assistance. Since, food safety is a global issue, promotion of food safety in Nepal is essential for them to assure health of their citizens travelling to Nepal.

4.8. Activities from related organizations

Different organizations related to agriculture, food and public health can enhance their effort for the promotion of food safety. It will be beneficial if more research, studies are conducted on food safety by different related organizations, eg., NAARC. Initiation of recording and analyzing impact of food borne illness by concerned organizations, eg., Public health can be equally beneficial for the promotion of food safety.

4.9. Efforts/Determination from organization in the food chain

Without efforts and determinations of organization in the food chain, it is almost impossible to promote food safety. So, it is the first requirement for the promotion of food safety.

4.10. Development of Expertise/consultancies

Support from experts and consultants are essential to develop systems or improve current systems to assure food safety. So, experts and consultants must develop their expertise to support all sectors of organization in the food chain to establish or improve the current system. It will be encouraging if there charges are affordable for the organizations in the food chain

4.11. Food Analysis Laboratory

Accredited and affordable food analysis laboratories are essential to identify safe food ingredients and food products, thus analyzing the status of food safety and support organizations in the food chain.

4.12. Activities from non government organizations and individuals

Activities of non government organizations and the individuals involved in promotion of food safety will also help to some extent, mainly on awareness and raising voices for food safety.

 

5.  Concluding Remarks

Food security without food safety has no meaning. So, equal emphasis must be given for food safety by the government and all concerned. Efforts are needed from all the concerned for the promotion of food safety. It is our duty to raise our hands and voices for the promotion of food safety in Nepal. Promotion of food safety will help to decrease risk of food borne illness, thus growth and development of food industries and tourism. Ways discussed above can be input for this mission.